‘MOUNTAIN MEN’ – Pioneer camp opens with 3-a-day practices, run up Harrison Ferry
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That description was never more appropriate than Tuesday morning.
The Pioneers arose bright and early for their second day of preseason camp, and traveled to the base of Harrison Ferry Mountain for a 1 1/2-mile run to the summit along the old Hwy. 8.
The run was conceived as both a break from the team’s normal camp routine and a chance to put his players through some strenuous early-morning conditioning, said head coach Chris Madewell.
‘We shook things up a little with the trip to the mountain, and because of that, we had to adjust our practice schedule a little bit (on Tuesday),’ he said. ‘But that’s the great thing about being all together here at the school for camp; we have the ability to be flexible in our scheduling, and make changes when we need to.’
As for the opening day of camp, Madewell said the Pioneers turned in three quality efforts on the practice field.
Players woke up at 6:30 a.m. Monday and took a one-mile run before breakfast, followed by defensive meetings and a two-hour defensive practice session in full gear.
After taking a break for lunch and to study film from the morning session, the Pioneers returned to the practice field Monday at 2:30 for a 1 1/2-hour special teams session in shorts, shoulder pads and helmets. A two-hour offensive practice session in full pads completed the ‘three-a-day’ opening day of camp.
‘We had a really good first day,’ Madewell said, ‘and I think that’s because as a team, we’re in such good shape.
‘Physically, we’re in overall better shape than any team we’ve begun camp with since I’ve been here. You could tell that (Tuesday) morning, when they woke up from a tough day of three practices and still were able to make the run up the mountain. That’s a testament to the hard work these guys put in during their summer conditioning. We’ll see (Tuesday) and through the rest of camp if they begin to wear down, but as far as an opening-day performance, we were very pleased with how they came out and worked hard.’
Camp concludes this afternoon, and the Pioneers will return to their respective homes tonight before heading to Murfreesboro Thursday morning for a full day of practices and scrimmages with Siegel.
The 2007 varsity football season begins Friday, Aug. 24, with a home game against DeKalb County. The WCHS freshmen will be at home Thursday, Aug. 23, against Coffee County.